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BRADY SAYS 'WEAKENING NICS IS BAD POLICY!'
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
BRADY SAYS 'WEAKENING NICS IS BAD POLICY!'
By NICKI FELLENZER
NICKI FELLENZER
Final GAO Report Confirms that Destruction of NICS Records After One Business Day Would Undermine Effectiveness of the NICS System; Firearms Could End Up in the Wrong Hands.
"A final report issued today by the General Accounting Office (GAO), confirms that destruction of National Instant Check System (NICS) records after one business day, as proposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft, would undermine the effectiveness of the NICS." The Brady Bunch gleefully crows.
"Specifically," continues the press release, "the GAO report concludes that destroying NICS records after one business day would prevent law enforcement officials from identifying gun buyers who should not have been approved for a firearms purchase and, therefore, from retrieving the firearms."
I bet they were throwing parties and drinking champagne all over the place at HCI offices. I bet banners were flying and people were hugging one another at the thought that they were proven right about Ashcroft and his zeal for protecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens.
"The GAO has found that if the Ashcroft proposal went into effect, hundreds of criminals, terrorists, and other prohibited purchasers - potentially more than 300 a year - would be on our streets with guns, and law enforcement would have no information about these cases until the guns are used to kill, maim, and rob innocent Americans," said Michael D. Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March. "What more proof does the Attorney General need to convince him that weakening the NICS is bad policy?
Proof? I'd like to offer some proof, if Mr. Barnes doesn't mind. So let's take aim, shall we?
First of all, Mr. Barnes is making quite an assumption about where these guns are winding up. Terrorists? According to the FBI, out of the firearm retrieval actions initiated during a specific six-month period, some were based on criminal history records showing felony indictments or convictions, some were related to domestic violence issues (misdemeanor convictions or restraining orders), and others involved wanted persons. No, the FBI hadn't caught any terrorists trying to legally purchase firearms.
Mr. Barnes is also making the absolute assertion that these guns will be used to "kill, maim and rob innocent Americans." That's quite an declaration, in light of the fact that most of the firearms used in violent crimes have been illegally obtained. As a matter of fact, according to the Department of Justice, five out of six felons who have guns obtained them by theft - not through legal channels. Certainly a felon wanting to "kill, maim and rob innocent Americans" won't be allowing a store owner to do a NICS check on him, will he?
But facts have never stopped the Brady Bunch from spreading emotionalism and propaganda.
According to the GAO report, a next-day destruction policy would adversely affect certain non-routine audits of the NICS system. Also, on the public safety front, the FBI's ability to initiate certain firearm retrieval action would be hampered. Such action is undertaken if NICS records prove to be incomplete and further evidence is uncovered that would disqualify an individual from owning a firearm. Under a policy which requires firearm purchase records to be retained for 90 days, the FBI has found that during the first half of the year 2001, the FBI used retained records to initiate 235 firearm-retrieval actions, of which 228 (97 percent) could not have been initiated under the proposed next-day destruction policy.
This sounds like an astounding number! According to the GAO only seven (7) of cases that warranted retrieval action were accomplished in 24 hours. Had Ashcroft's policy to destroy records after one day been in effect, only seven of the 235 people who unlawfully purchased firearms would have been caught!
So why do I find this so amusing?
Because, as usual, the masters of misinformation at the Brady Center haven't told the whole story.
It's true that during the 6-month period of July 1, 2001 to January 2, 2002 the FBI initiated 235 firearm-retrieval actions based on information received after NICS examiners initially allowed the transfers to proceed. It's also true that
7 (3 percent) were reversed in less than 1 calendar day, the amount of time records would be maintained under the proposed next-day destruction of NICS records;
116 (49 percent) were reversed in 30 calendar days or less; and
192 (82 percent) were reversed in 60 calendar days or less
However, what the Brady Center doesn't mention is the small print in the GAO report they cite.
The FBI reports that during the six month period about 2.6 million NICS transactions were processed. Let me repeat that - 2,600,000.
According to the FBI, about 2 percent of applications processed by NICS are rejected. This would bring the number of allowed purchases in the aforementioned 6-month period to 2,548,000.
Essentially, out of 2.6 million transactions processed through NICS, 228 firearms wound up in the wrong hands. That's a percentage so small, it barely registers on my calculator. It's .009 percent. It's a percentage so ridiculous, it barely requires mention. To call this number insignificant would be an insult to inconsequentiality.
But nooooooo! The Brady Bunch would rather you didn't know the 228 cases they're bragging support their ridiculous prognostications about guns falling into the "wrong hands" if NICS records are destroyed after one day, represents an insignificant, tiny percentage of all NICS applications processed during that period.
Apparently they would rather push for the violation of the right to privacy for the vast majority of law-abiding citizens because of .009 percent.
Maybe Brady's merry band of misleading morons would prefer you didn't read the GAO report. And to most lazy, drooling anti-freedom hoplophobes, the press release would be sufficient evidence of Ashcroft's evil. After all, the GAO report is nearly 40 pages of dry government language! Who'd be expected to actually wade through all that information? Who would be expected to read the entire report? Who would be expected to find the total number of NICS transactions for that time period, which is buried in a footnote at the bottom of page 8 of the report?
My guess is not many people would bother reading the entire GAO report, and that's what the Brady Bunch is counting on. But then those who didn't bother would miss this:
According to NICS officials, under the FBI's plans, most areas of NICS operations would not be adversely affected. The FBI's plans also show that many routine audits currently conducted monthly or quarterly- such as audits of the accuracy of NICS examiners' decisions-would have to be conducted on a real-time (hourlyor daily) basis by adding more staff and changing procedures. NICS officials told us, however, that the FBI would not lose any routine audit capabilities under the proposed policy for next-day destruction of records.
They would also miss this:
Finally, ATF headquarters officials told us that a next-day destruction policy would not affect ATF's ability to inspect gun dealer records.
And this - buried in yet another footnote on page 9:
FBI data show that 43 (18 percent) of the 235 transactions that resulted in firearm-retrieval actions involved NICS examiner errors (e.g., failure to research a criminal history record).
Yes, readers - Sarah Brady and her ilk want your name on a government list like a common band of criminals even though the next-day destruction policy would have no significant effect on law enforcement officers' ability to perform their duties.
Yes, folks. Sarah Brady wants to compromise the privacy of millions of law-abiding United States citizens each year, because 18 percent of the .009 percent of the firearms purchasers that slip through the cracks of NICS was caused by bureaucratic error.
According to FBI officials, the agency is taking steps to mitigate the adverse effects the next-day destruction policy could have on a minute amount of applications. For instance, additional examiner training will be provided and other actions are planned to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.
The GAO report also points out the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice asserts that inaccurate and incomplete criminal history records are responsible for the minute problem of erroneous firearms transfers. According to the office this problem should diminish with time, since states are spending millions on improving their criminal record systems.
The office noted that DOJ's National Criminal History Improvement Program will award $39 million to the states in fiscal year 2002 to improve their record systems, and, for fiscal year 2003, the President's budget requests $63 million for this purpose. The office also noted that the Attorney General has directed the Bureau of Justice Statistics to study and recommend ways to target these grants to improve the accuracy of criminal history records, as well as records relating to adjudicated mental incapacity and domestic violence.
So let's get this straight.
HCI is gloating about a government report it contends supports their position about the unscrupulousness of destroying NICS records after one day. What are Brady and gang bragging about? A statistically insignificant number of "mistakes" - 288 out of more than 2.5 million firearms purchase approvals or .009 percent - supposedly justify Brady's misguided and warped call for an invasion of privacy of millions of law-abiding US citizens?
Inept government bureaucracies are responsible for .009 percent of firearms possibly falling into the "wrong hands."
Millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on alleviating this statistically insignificant problem.
Millions of your tax dollars are being spent on ensuring that every aspect of your life is accessible by the mere touch of a keyboard.
Even the FBI admitted that the vast majority of firearm-retrieval actions initiated by the FBI would not be affected by the next-day destruction policy.
But this is not good enough for Sarah Brady and her sort. They want the rights of millions violated because 228 people, who were initially deemed worthy of defending themselves with a firearm, were on second glance judged undeserving of such an "honor."
Brady and company would rather see the destruction of your rights, the vilification of the Attorney General of the United States for wanting to protect your rights, and the dissemination of misleading information that could lead to an infringement of your rights than leave you a shred of your privacy.
All because of .009 percent.
http://www.armedfemalesofamerica.com/index.php?section=TAKING+AIM...
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By NICKI FELLENZER
NICKI FELLENZER
Final GAO Report Confirms that Destruction of NICS Records After One Business Day Would Undermine Effectiveness of the NICS System; Firearms Could End Up in the Wrong Hands.
"A final report issued today by the General Accounting Office (GAO), confirms that destruction of National Instant Check System (NICS) records after one business day, as proposed by Attorney General John Ashcroft, would undermine the effectiveness of the NICS." The Brady Bunch gleefully crows.
"Specifically," continues the press release, "the GAO report concludes that destroying NICS records after one business day would prevent law enforcement officials from identifying gun buyers who should not have been approved for a firearms purchase and, therefore, from retrieving the firearms."
I bet they were throwing parties and drinking champagne all over the place at HCI offices. I bet banners were flying and people were hugging one another at the thought that they were proven right about Ashcroft and his zeal for protecting the privacy of law-abiding citizens.
"The GAO has found that if the Ashcroft proposal went into effect, hundreds of criminals, terrorists, and other prohibited purchasers - potentially more than 300 a year - would be on our streets with guns, and law enforcement would have no information about these cases until the guns are used to kill, maim, and rob innocent Americans," said Michael D. Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence united with the Million Mom March. "What more proof does the Attorney General need to convince him that weakening the NICS is bad policy?
Proof? I'd like to offer some proof, if Mr. Barnes doesn't mind. So let's take aim, shall we?
First of all, Mr. Barnes is making quite an assumption about where these guns are winding up. Terrorists? According to the FBI, out of the firearm retrieval actions initiated during a specific six-month period, some were based on criminal history records showing felony indictments or convictions, some were related to domestic violence issues (misdemeanor convictions or restraining orders), and others involved wanted persons. No, the FBI hadn't caught any terrorists trying to legally purchase firearms.
Mr. Barnes is also making the absolute assertion that these guns will be used to "kill, maim and rob innocent Americans." That's quite an declaration, in light of the fact that most of the firearms used in violent crimes have been illegally obtained. As a matter of fact, according to the Department of Justice, five out of six felons who have guns obtained them by theft - not through legal channels. Certainly a felon wanting to "kill, maim and rob innocent Americans" won't be allowing a store owner to do a NICS check on him, will he?
But facts have never stopped the Brady Bunch from spreading emotionalism and propaganda.
According to the GAO report, a next-day destruction policy would adversely affect certain non-routine audits of the NICS system. Also, on the public safety front, the FBI's ability to initiate certain firearm retrieval action would be hampered. Such action is undertaken if NICS records prove to be incomplete and further evidence is uncovered that would disqualify an individual from owning a firearm. Under a policy which requires firearm purchase records to be retained for 90 days, the FBI has found that during the first half of the year 2001, the FBI used retained records to initiate 235 firearm-retrieval actions, of which 228 (97 percent) could not have been initiated under the proposed next-day destruction policy.
This sounds like an astounding number! According to the GAO only seven (7) of cases that warranted retrieval action were accomplished in 24 hours. Had Ashcroft's policy to destroy records after one day been in effect, only seven of the 235 people who unlawfully purchased firearms would have been caught!
So why do I find this so amusing?
Because, as usual, the masters of misinformation at the Brady Center haven't told the whole story.
It's true that during the 6-month period of July 1, 2001 to January 2, 2002 the FBI initiated 235 firearm-retrieval actions based on information received after NICS examiners initially allowed the transfers to proceed. It's also true that
7 (3 percent) were reversed in less than 1 calendar day, the amount of time records would be maintained under the proposed next-day destruction of NICS records;
116 (49 percent) were reversed in 30 calendar days or less; and
192 (82 percent) were reversed in 60 calendar days or less
However, what the Brady Center doesn't mention is the small print in the GAO report they cite.
The FBI reports that during the six month period about 2.6 million NICS transactions were processed. Let me repeat that - 2,600,000.
According to the FBI, about 2 percent of applications processed by NICS are rejected. This would bring the number of allowed purchases in the aforementioned 6-month period to 2,548,000.
Essentially, out of 2.6 million transactions processed through NICS, 228 firearms wound up in the wrong hands. That's a percentage so small, it barely registers on my calculator. It's .009 percent. It's a percentage so ridiculous, it barely requires mention. To call this number insignificant would be an insult to inconsequentiality.
But nooooooo! The Brady Bunch would rather you didn't know the 228 cases they're bragging support their ridiculous prognostications about guns falling into the "wrong hands" if NICS records are destroyed after one day, represents an insignificant, tiny percentage of all NICS applications processed during that period.
Apparently they would rather push for the violation of the right to privacy for the vast majority of law-abiding citizens because of .009 percent.
Maybe Brady's merry band of misleading morons would prefer you didn't read the GAO report. And to most lazy, drooling anti-freedom hoplophobes, the press release would be sufficient evidence of Ashcroft's evil. After all, the GAO report is nearly 40 pages of dry government language! Who'd be expected to actually wade through all that information? Who would be expected to read the entire report? Who would be expected to find the total number of NICS transactions for that time period, which is buried in a footnote at the bottom of page 8 of the report?
My guess is not many people would bother reading the entire GAO report, and that's what the Brady Bunch is counting on. But then those who didn't bother would miss this:
According to NICS officials, under the FBI's plans, most areas of NICS operations would not be adversely affected. The FBI's plans also show that many routine audits currently conducted monthly or quarterly- such as audits of the accuracy of NICS examiners' decisions-would have to be conducted on a real-time (hourlyor daily) basis by adding more staff and changing procedures. NICS officials told us, however, that the FBI would not lose any routine audit capabilities under the proposed policy for next-day destruction of records.
They would also miss this:
Finally, ATF headquarters officials told us that a next-day destruction policy would not affect ATF's ability to inspect gun dealer records.
And this - buried in yet another footnote on page 9:
FBI data show that 43 (18 percent) of the 235 transactions that resulted in firearm-retrieval actions involved NICS examiner errors (e.g., failure to research a criminal history record).
Yes, readers - Sarah Brady and her ilk want your name on a government list like a common band of criminals even though the next-day destruction policy would have no significant effect on law enforcement officers' ability to perform their duties.
Yes, folks. Sarah Brady wants to compromise the privacy of millions of law-abiding United States citizens each year, because 18 percent of the .009 percent of the firearms purchasers that slip through the cracks of NICS was caused by bureaucratic error.
According to FBI officials, the agency is taking steps to mitigate the adverse effects the next-day destruction policy could have on a minute amount of applications. For instance, additional examiner training will be provided and other actions are planned to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.
The GAO report also points out the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice asserts that inaccurate and incomplete criminal history records are responsible for the minute problem of erroneous firearms transfers. According to the office this problem should diminish with time, since states are spending millions on improving their criminal record systems.
The office noted that DOJ's National Criminal History Improvement Program will award $39 million to the states in fiscal year 2002 to improve their record systems, and, for fiscal year 2003, the President's budget requests $63 million for this purpose. The office also noted that the Attorney General has directed the Bureau of Justice Statistics to study and recommend ways to target these grants to improve the accuracy of criminal history records, as well as records relating to adjudicated mental incapacity and domestic violence.
So let's get this straight.
HCI is gloating about a government report it contends supports their position about the unscrupulousness of destroying NICS records after one day. What are Brady and gang bragging about? A statistically insignificant number of "mistakes" - 288 out of more than 2.5 million firearms purchase approvals or .009 percent - supposedly justify Brady's misguided and warped call for an invasion of privacy of millions of law-abiding US citizens?
Inept government bureaucracies are responsible for .009 percent of firearms possibly falling into the "wrong hands."
Millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on alleviating this statistically insignificant problem.
Millions of your tax dollars are being spent on ensuring that every aspect of your life is accessible by the mere touch of a keyboard.
Even the FBI admitted that the vast majority of firearm-retrieval actions initiated by the FBI would not be affected by the next-day destruction policy.
But this is not good enough for Sarah Brady and her sort. They want the rights of millions violated because 228 people, who were initially deemed worthy of defending themselves with a firearm, were on second glance judged undeserving of such an "honor."
Brady and company would rather see the destruction of your rights, the vilification of the Attorney General of the United States for wanting to protect your rights, and the dissemination of misleading information that could lead to an infringement of your rights than leave you a shred of your privacy.
All because of .009 percent.
http://www.armedfemalesofamerica.com/index.php?section=TAKING+AIM...
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878